Day: June 22, 2008

certainly not soap fans if the discussion is about the BnB. When a show becomes derivative of itself, there’s a problem. Close your eyes as you listen to Katie and Bridget speaking. Tell me whose voice you’re hearing. Most likely, it’s not Katie’s, the dialogue is too consistent with something you’ve heard before. You’re probably hearing Brooke’s voice, instead. I can only imagine that any Emmy panel viewing Katie-Bridget scenes next year will have the same PTSD flashbacks the rest of us are having right now. Been there? Yes. Done that? Yes. Have the upset stomach to prove it? Oh, hell yes. I may not be a Donna fan, any more, but I have to give her credit for one thing. She’s been the only Logan woman not to fall head over heels for Nick Marone. How can any woman see this man as a heroic? I don’t think porn stars get as much fantasy action as this guy!

I am completely underwhelmed with Nick’s fight to reunite Katie with her mother, Beth, after the heart surgery and near death. Yeah, UNDERwhelmed. When you flip back and forth between the beds of a mother and daughter in the space of several months, you might just have to surrender your right to claim that you know what ‘good’ parenting is. When you top that by sleeping with both in less than 24 hours, you don’t even get to call yourself human. Brace yourself, folks, the Logan “girls” will soon be calling him ‘Nicky’ to replace ‘Stormy’, as the man of the family. They’ll start telling him what a great man he is to have held his harem together. They’ll pretend to have forgotten that they’ve seen (or have wanted to see) more of Little Nicky in the past year than they’ve seen sunshine. Spare me.

Quick Notes: Marcus? Love him. Marcus and Donna? Can tolerate them. Marcus and Steffy? Cute. Steffy? Awesome actress. Well done, casting! Eric and Donna? Who gives a flying fig? Marcus doesn’t make Donna more likeable or ‘Deric’ a couple worth caring about. Best writing? Not hardly. The Emmy committee got this one right! There was a time when I waited and hoped for an Emmy for this show. Now I’m left in a state of shock whenever the show is nominated for anything at all.

What else did they get right? As much as it pains me to say it, the Best Writing nod SHOULD have gone to OLTL, so thank the soapgods it did. Ah, but all is not perfect. I’m pretty pissed off with OL, as much as I love the show. As I’ve regularly said in the old column is THE show to watch right now. It’s the closest to what old daytime drama and glamour was about, what made it work. The dialogue is crisp, the storylines are fresh enough to make you forget how absurd some of the situations are (Tina, royalty? Chased by a gunman? Bring it on baby!). Most of the characters and plots are likable. The writers have found a way to make even Antonio a character I can stand watching. Where’s the gripe?

Sorry folks, but losing Nash, and especially in favor of Natalie and Jared, was a HUGE mistake… (did I mention how huge the mistake was?). I realize the writers had to make room for the returning David Vickers, Tina Lord, Marty Saybrooke (zzzzzzzz), and a host of other characters. Natalie? Jared? JARED survived? JARED???? I don’t get it. The writers killed off the epic love story of Jessica (Tess) and Nash, and kept Natalie and JARED. I almost think it would be fair for the writers to give that Emmy back. Some time ago, before the site revamp, I asked several fans to respond to the death of Nash Brennan, and the incredible loss of Forbes March. Here are a few responses:

Dear Norrth,

I have always thought of myself as a very rational person and considered soaps as just my getaway. I never became involved with the back stage politics. The hiring and firing of the actors I took in stride, never commenting. This is the first time I have ever taken a stand or any type of action. I have been writing, signing petitions, and now e-mailing you. The firing of Forbes March has angered me and made me sad. I was channel surfing back in 2005 when I decided to give One Life to Life a try. It had been years since I watched. Then July of 2005 Forbes March and Bree Williamson lite up my screen. They are my super couple. I have only missed three episodes since. I relied on my daughter to change the type in my vcr while I was on a cruise. Wrong thing to do. I now have dvr and soapnet. Without Forbes March there will be no One Life to Live for me. Yes I will be tuning out. Mrs. T. O.

2 – I want to express my extreme disappointment at the decision by ABC and OLTL to fire Forbes March and to kill the character of Nash. Three years ago I had stopped watching OLTL after having watched for more than a decade. One day I tuned in because I was doing nothing else and found Tess. When Tess and Nash
found each other, I was hooked.

The couple was magic and Bree and Forbes had so much chemistry. I invested in this couple and truly enjoyed them. I felt for certain Jess and Nash would be the future of the show — the next Viki and Clint.

I returned to OLTL because of Jess and Nash. I will leave OLTL when Nash is killed. I also will follow Forbes March to another show. That is something I have never done before. Hopefully that show will write for him. I hope OLTL changes its mind. The show seems unwilling to admit a mistake and listen to fans. If the remain hidebound, I’m done with OLTL, but I do thank Forbes March and Bree Williamson for the enjoyment they provided for a couple of years. Jess

3 – I wasn’t prepared for Nash Brennan to become one of my all-time favorite soap characters (right up there with Todd Manning and “General Hospital”‘s Brenda Barrett). I watched his first day, July 7, 2005, out of mild curiosity. But I was surprised to discover that my reaction to Nash was anything BUT mild. I was completely taken in by the character and by Forbes March’s performance. Nash was unlike any soap character I had ever seen before, and I’ve relished watching his evolution from heartless con-man to loving husband and first-time father. So many of Nash’s scenes — his “exit” speech to true love Tess; his reaction to learning that he was in love with an alternate personality; his omelet breakfast for Jessica at Llanfair; his attempted murder of child molester Norman Leeds; his breakdown at the vineyard cottage — are etched in my memory. To say that the firing of Forbes is a mistake would be a severe understatement. I remain perplexed that, at a time when OLTL’s ratings are in a freefall, Frank Valentini and Ron Carlivati would make a decision which will surely drive still more fans from the show.

What more can I say? It’s all be said so beautifully. Jessica and Nash were the show’s legacy. Those of you who read the old OLTL column know that I thought they were the show’s future matriarch and patriarch. The one mistake (and it’s a HUGE one) that Calivarti and crew made was in killing Nash off. Jared and Nataile’s relationship lacks every bit of romantic chemistry and romantic life that the lovestory of Jessica and Nash brought to the show. There was more chemistry on the first day Tessica and Nash met, than in all of the wretched time Natalie and JARED have spent together. I’ll leave grieving Tessica/Nash fans with this fitting tribute:

That’s it for me, for now. I’ll see you in a couple of days (shorter entries, bigger attitude!) Have something you want to say? An opinion you want to share? Add your comments below!